In the novel <I>George Evans</I>, the title character and his friend Charles Fletcher both aspire to live the alluring life of an international banker in 1960s London. Told in the form of a conversation between George and another old friend, this novel recounts the dual quest of George and Charles.After the devaluation of sterling in 1967 and the boom in shipping created by the Arab-Israeli war, Thomson, Guthrie decides it needs a shipping division, and appoints Charles and George to run it. Because Thomson, Guthrie is an American bank, Charles is named head and George is his number two. Through love affairs, familial connections, and a changing banking industry, George and Charles remain friends.